Brewer's: Tag Rag, and Bobtail

The vulgus ignobilë. A “tag” is a doe in the second year of her age; a “rag,” a herd of deer at rutting time; “bobtail,” a fawn just weaned.

According to Halliwell, a sheep of the first year is called a tag. Tag is sometimes written shag.

“It will swallow us all up, ships and men, shag, rag, and bobtail.” —Rabelais: Pantagruel, iv. 33.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language